Moscow warns against US warships

MOSCOW - Russia would respond if the United States deploys warships in the Black Sea or Arctic, Russian Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov said Tuesday.

"In a case where such (Aegis anti-missile system-equipped) ships appear in the Barents Sea, or in the Black Sea for instance, we will likely take special measures in the frame of the state re-armament program," Makarov told reporters.

"But we would not like to use these measures as they increase the financial burden for us," he added.

Referring to the US-led NATO missile defense shield in Europe, which, according to the United States, is aimed at countering potential missile threats from Iran, Makarov said it would also pose a threat for Russia.

By 2018, an entirely different generation of those missiles would be "capable of shooting down strategic missiles over our territory," Makarov said.

Moscow has long opposed the deployment of NATO missile defense facilities near its borders and wants legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that the shield does not target Russia.